


If I Get Restless

by dreamiflame



Category: Ella Enchanted (2004)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 18:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiflame/pseuds/dreamiflame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life after Benny stops being a book is something of a challenge for Slannen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I Get Restless

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Caroline Crane (carolinecrane)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/gifts).



It all happened very quickly. One moment, Slannen was holding Benny and trying not to drop the book while two guards tugged on his arms. The next moment, accompanied by a bang and a cloud of smoke, he was holding a pumpkin. Slannen yelled in shock and dropped it. The guards, taking no notice of the pumpkin, used his newly free arms to restrain him further.

Then there was another loud pop and a big cloud of smoke, making Slannen and both guards cough. When the smoke cleared there was a tall man with the face of a book standing in front of them.

Benny, for it was obviously Benny, stepped forward and punched both guards in the throat where their armor was flexible. They fell, releasing Slannen's arms to grab for their dented neckpieces. Benny caught Slannen's shoulder to keep him standing, and Slannen grabbed Benny's forearm to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.

"Benny," said Slannen, craning his neck back. "You got tall."

Benny grinned at him, then leaned down and kissed Slannen. Slannen's mouth fell open a little in shock, and Benny licked his way in between Slannen's lips with a pleased sort of hum. Slannen's brain kicked back into gear and started freaking. He had never kissed a man before. It was strange. Benny tasted a little bit like pumpkin, perhaps because he'd just been one, and his lips were soft and warm. They were also very skillful, so Slannen's brain ground back to a halt and he started kissing back.

After what seemed like a few hours and was probably no more than a few minutes, if that, Benny lifted his head. "I know you said you'd prefer a note, but I seem to be lacking in paper right now." Slannen kept gaping at him. Benny grinned again and moved back into the fight.

That was pretty much the end of it. At least, Benny and Slannen didn't talk about it later. Benny had Mandy, and Slannen had Brumhilda, after a fashion. It wasn't much of a romance sometimes, with the size difference being what it was, but they got along well enough, and they cared for each other. Plus, Slannen was busy passing his bar exam and then making a name for himself as one of the best lawyers in the kingdom.

The problem was, Slannen kept thinking about the kiss. It was hard for him not to, as he didn't have a whole lot of experience to compare it to, and Benny had turned out to be surprisingly good at kissing. And then he had showed up looking for a job, so Slannen was around Benny a lot.

Slannen was the only lawyer he knew who had a male paralegal the same age he was. It was unusual, of course, but so was an Elven lawyer. And Benny's time as a book seemed to have given him some kind of influence over the rest of them, because he was better at finding out information than anyone else Slannen had ever met. Slannen was sure he wouldn't be half as successful as he was without Benny's help.

They were looking over the breaking and entering case against Goldy Locks one day when Benny said, between flipping pages, "I broke up with Mandy."

Slannen dropped the book he was holding. "What? Really?"

Benny nodded, still focused on his reading. "We weren't really right together, not anymore. Too much time apart, and without arms and legs for me."

Thing was, Benny didn't sound too broken up about it. He sounded a little... wistful, Slannen decided. "I'm sorry," he said, and Benny waved it off. "When did this happen?"

"Oh, last week," Benny said, and pushed the book across the table. "Look, I told you I thought there was precedence on this. We'll win it for sure." And that was the last thing he said about his breakup or Mandy that day.

But Slannen was having trouble not thinking about things he shouldn't think so much about. He and Brumhilda were still happy together, though they saw each other less, and if Slannen was honest with himself, some of his ardor had cooled. But Benny and Mandy, who had been very happy together and loved each other so much, hadn't worked out, and they were even the same size. It didn't bode terribly well for Slannen's chances at a future with Brumhilda.

So it was a little bit of a relief for Brumhilda to tell Slannen she'd met someone at their next meeting. "He's a singer," she said, a fond look on her gorgeous face. Slannen felt a bit of wistful pain in his chest, but nothing like the heartbreak he had expected to feel. "He's a giant, too."

"I figured," Slannen said, and hugged her hand. "Good luck with him, Brumhilda."

Brumhilda kissed his head gently and wiped away a tear the size of a bucket. "Thank you, Slannen."

And then Slannen was single again, too. Benny took him out for a drink, but on the whole, Slannen didn't feel too terrible about it. Besides, they had plenty of work to keep them busy. After a while, Slannen realized that even if he had still been dating Brumhilda he wouldn't have seen her for over two weeks.

He did see Benny, though. More and more Slannen found himself staring at Benny's lips and thinking about how they'd felt when he and Benny had kissed. That led to the realization that he wanted it to happen again.

Slannen dropped the scroll he was handing over to Benny when he finally figured it out. Benny snatched for it and missed. "Dammit, Slannen, why do you have to throw everything on the floor? Not everyone is as close to the ground as you are."

"Oh, yeah?" Slannen said back out of habit. "Well, how's the weather up there, you bloody tree?"

Benny crouched down and retrieved the scroll. "Are you feeling alright? You're not usually this clumsy unless your legs are tied together."

Slannen rubbed his forehead. "I am feeling a little tired. Finish up the report, okay? I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Slannen was hurrying home to deal with his dangerous new ideas.

It was simple, really. Slannen wanted to kiss Benny some more. And probably do whatever else came after that, too, though Slannen was a little fuzzy on the details of that. But what did Benny want?

Benny was nowhere near as easy to read as he'd been as a book. Slannen was trying to be patient and figure out what was on Benny's mind, but patience, it turned out, was not Slannen's strong suit.

Of course, one enthusiastic kiss after a successful court case got Slannen his answer anyway, so it didn't matter that he hadn't waited. They figured out what came after the kissing, too, to Slannen's relief. They even seemed to be pretty good at it together.

And they lived, excepting the occasional argument and the constant bickering, happily ever after.

The End


End file.
